LOGIN“The Foxbridge Foxes!”The reaction was immediate but the Ravens’ side reacted, though with a different kind of energy.Beside me, Maya groaned. “Oh no.”I turned to her. “What?”“The Foxes made it to the finals,” she said, shaking her head. “A part of me doesn’t even want the Ravens to win tonight.
Aria.“Seriously? These seats? We can barely see anything.”I leaned forward, squinting past rows of heads and waving flags, trying to catch a proper glimpse of the field below. It was hard. All I could see clearly were flashes of gold, black, and the occasional blur of movement.Beside me, Maya let
Aria’s voice echoed in my head.“They like each other.”“Guys,” Ryder cut in, his tone sharper now. “Give us a minute.”The room quieted slightly.“We’ll meet you on the field,” he added.There were a few nods, a couple of claps on my shoulder again, lighter this time, more careful.“Let me know if
Then I looked up.The mirror reflected it all back.The uniform with my last name at the back. BlackthonThe number. 1The image, perfect future alpha, quarterback, captain..The lie.I held my own gaze for a second longer.Then I turned away.I reached for the table beside me, where Coach had left
Kai.I stood in front of the mirror longer than I should have because I couldn’t quite believe what I looked like.The reflection staring back at me barely resembled the person I was supposed to be.My left eye was bloodshot, the red stark against the pale of my skin. A dark bruise spread across bot
The one Kai had taken from my bag.The one piece of home I still had.My chest tightened.I reached out slowly, brushing my fingers along its surface. The memory hit immediately, him handing it back to me, and lying to my face that he had bought it. I shook my head as a tear escaped my eyes.I swall
And she was laughing. She was laughing with another guy.I gripped the edge of the table so hard my knuckles cracked.“Relax,” Ryder said lazily, though I could hear the edge of mockery in his tone. “It’s just a car wash. What’s the matter, Blackthorn? Your little stray not behaving like the good, o
I shook my head violently, tears spilling fast now. “Stop. Don’t say things like that. Don’t look at me like that when you’re already taken. It’s cruel, Kai. It’s cruel to me. And it’s cruel to Serena.”Her name hung in the air between us, sharp as a blade.Kai flinched like I had struck him. For th
Kai.I could not focus. The pens in my hand blurred against the endless jerseys and notebooks shoved my way. Every time I tried to scrawl my name, my eyes betrayed me, darting back to her.Aria.She was across the lot, bent over a car hood, a sponge in her hand, her hair tied back in a ponytail. The
Kai.I stood in the middle of the big car park, surrounded by too much noise and too many people. Music blared from the speakers at the far end, bass shaking the ground under my shoes. Food stalls lined the edges of the lot, filling the air with the smell of fried dough, sugar, and roasted meat. Ev







